See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/346974185

Review paper on Concrete Canvas uses and applications

Conference Paper · December 2020

CITATIONS READS

0 2,554

1 author:

Khalid Najib
Abu Dhabi University
1 PUBLICATION 0 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Khalid Najib on 14 December 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 2020

Review paper on Concrete Canvas

uses and applications

KHALID WALID NAJIB

Table of Contents
List of Figures:- .................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction: - ...................................................................................................................................... 3
The layers of Concrete Canvas, considerations, and its mechanical properties:- ......................... 4
1- Layers of Concrete Canvas:-.................................................................................................... 4
2- Working with Concrete Canvas considerations :- ................................................................. 6
3- The mechanical properties of the concrete Canvas:-............................................................. 7
The applications of Concrete canvas and the installation method:- ............................................... 9
1- the installation method for the Concrete Canvas:- ................................................................ 9
2- The applications of the Concrete Canvas ............................................................................. 10
1- Channel lining:- .......................................................................................................................... 10
2- Bund Lining:- .............................................................................................................................. 11
3- Slope protection:- ........................................................................................................................ 12
4- Culvert lining:-............................................................................................................................ 13
5- Remediation and weed suppression:- ....................................................................................... 14
Conclusion:- ........................................................................................................................................ 15
References ........................................................................................................................................... 16
List of Figures:-
Figure 1 Concrete Canvas during installation ....................................................................................... 3
Figure 2 geometric drawing for 3-D fiber Matrix .................................................................................. 5
Figure 3 Concrete Canvas GCCM section ............................................................................................. 6
Figure 4 preset Concrete Canvas mechanical properties ....................................................................... 8
Figure 5 post set Concrete Canvas mechanical properties ..................................................................... 8
Figure 6 channel lining details0 ........................................................................................................... 10
Figure 7 bund lining details ................................................................................................................. 11
Figure 8 GASCO UAE BUND LINING PROJECT ........................................................................... 12
Figure 9 slope protection details .......................................................................................................... 12
Figure 10 Al Ain Automatic Irrigation slope protection project ......................................................... 13
Figure 11 culvert lining details ............................................................................................................ 14
Figure 12 Remediation installation details .......................................................................................... 15
Introduction: -
Concrete is the most globally used material in the construction industry. It is known for its good load
capacity handling, the ability to customize its compressive strength, the ability to be shaped to the
required shape, and good durability and impermeability. The major issue that concrete cannot resist
the tensile stresses as it will lose its flexibility during the hardening stage. To overcome this issue,
many researchers started making experiments with special types of materials that are mixed with
concrete to make it more flexible, and they discovered Concrete Canvas from these experiments.
Concrete Canvas also called Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mats (GCCMs) is a thin, flexible,
durable, waterproof concrete filled with geosynthetic. Concrete Canvas comprises three parts, PVC
backing on one side,3D fiber matrix with a dry concrete mix in the middle, and fibrous top surface.
Concrete Canvas has a wide scope of applications and uses such as slope protection, bund lining,
channel and culvert lining, remediation, and weed suppression. Concrete Canvas is easy to install as it
comes as a roll of concrete that is easy to transport from the factory to the site, Concrete Canvas does
not need mixing equipment for using what we need to do is lying it and adding water on top of it.
Concrete Canvas can be made in different thicknesses. According to Concrete Canvas Ltd, Concrete
Canvas can be produced in 5 mm, 8 mm, and13 mm thicknesses with an average compressive strength
of 50 MPa after 24 hours and 80MPa after 28 days.

Figure 1 Concrete Canvas during installation

The layers of Concrete Canvas, considerations, and its mechanical properties:-
Concrete Canvas is one of the revolutionary discoveries in the concrete and construction
industry. Concrete Canvas is a flexible concrete-filled geosynthetics that hardens to
become a durable concrete layer. Concrete Canvas handles the flexural stresses that regular
plain concrete cannot handle. In figure 3, it shows a 3-D model representing for Concrete
Canvas GCCM section. In this section, it will discuss Concrete Canvas in terms of layers,
working with it, and mechanical properties.

1- Layers of Concrete Canvas:-

Concrete Canvas is prepared from three materials which are listed below:

1- Concrete Dry Mix: Concrete Canvas uses a special concrete dry mix, which
provides better mechanical strength and shorter setting time. The concrete mix is
manufactured by choosing dry cement powder, Calcium aluminate cement (CAC),
Calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA), or a combination of both to accommodate
the desired strength of concrete Canvas and for its different uses. To achieve a
powerful bond for Concrete Canvas, Calcium aluminate cement (CAC) was used.
CAC is a perfect binder because of its higher mechanical strength, corrosion-free,
low permeability, significant resistance to erosion, low pH, and shorter setting time.
CAC can release an enormous amount of energy as heat during the hydration can
harden at a top rate. In table 1 is shows the chemical composition for CAC.

Table 1 Chemical composition of CAC

Oxides Percentage of
Contents%
SiO₂ ≤9
Al₂O₃ ≥ 44
Fe₂O₃ ≤9
CaO 37 - 41
MgO ≤ 1.5
SO₃ < 0.4
 2- Fiber Matrix: Fiber Matrix is a 3-D fiber reinforcing matrix inside the Concrete Canvas
which reinforces the dry concrete mix of Concrete Canvas to provide its strength, flexibility,
and durability. Usually, the thickness of the fiber-matrix comes in a range between 5 to 20
mm. The fiber matrix is made from three woven fabric layers. As shown in figure 2, the top
face and bottom face layers need to be are knitted tightened and it holds the spacing between
these layers out by a third fabric layer to ensure a strong fiber matrix. The fiber matrix can
absorb the effects, maintain the integrity of the concrete Canvas, prevent crack propagation,
and ensuring a safe mode of failure.

Figure 2 geometric drawing for 3-D fiber Matrix

3- Membranes: In Concrete Canvas there are two PVC membranes, one on each side
with unique properties for different purposes. On the bottom side, a waterproof PVC
membrane to protect Concrete Canvas from the surrounding water and moisture. On the
top side, permissible fibers (Polyethylene and Polypropylene yarns) membrane helps in
the hydration process by allowing the water to reach the dry concrete mix with fiber
matrix.
 2- Working with Concrete Canvas considerations :-

Concrete Canvas is a great construction material but while working with it, three main
considerations must be considered in which are listed below.

a- Storage: Concrete Canvas stored as a batch roll in dry conditions away from direct sunlight,
If the batch roll opened and left under the sun and moist weather it will gradually lose flexibility
and performance depending upon moisture levels in the air.
b- Cutting: Concrete Canvas must be cut while it's dry and with a sharp razor blade and keeping
several millimeters additional.
c- Method of Hydration: Concrete Canvas can be hydrated either by using salt water or fresh
water, which can be usable in coastal areas or near rivers. The minimum hydration ratio of
Concrete Canvas should be 1to2 of water to Concrete Canvas and to measure it by weight. The
primary key of hydration in Concrete Canvas that it cannot be over hydrated, so an additional
amount of water is recommended in the hydration phase, also it should be submerged in water
for a minimum of 90 seconds to ensure a full hydrated concrete Canvas.

Figure 3 Concrete Canvas GCCM section

 3- The mechanical properties of the concrete Canvas:-

The mechanical properties of Concrete Canvas which are usually measured are compressive strength,
abrasive resistance, peel strength, and flexural strength. Figures 4 and 5 show the mechanical
properties of the Concrete Canvas that have been taken from the Concrete Canvas Ltd website.

1- The compressive strength of the Concrete Canvas can reach up to 50 MPa in 24

hours, which is measured to be 80% of its full strength, while the full strength of the
Concrete Canvas can reach up to 80 MPa after 28 days. The reason behind its
strength is the 3-D fiber matrix and dry concrete mix, after hydrating the dry
concrete mix it hardens and bonds very well with the 3-D fiber matrix in which
increases its stress capacity.
2- The abrasive resistance is the ability of materials to resist friction which causes by
wearing down or rubbing the material away while keeping the original structure,
texture, and appearance. The Concrete Canvas has a high abrasive resistance of 0.2
which comes in handy since the Concrete Canvas can work in Channel lining with
high water flow rates.
3- The peel strength is the bonding strength between two or more materials and how
well they bonded, and the force needed to separate them. The Concrete canvas peel
strength can range between 4 to 5 KN/m differs on the thickness of the Concrete
Canvas was used to test it.
4- The flexural strength can be measured by the initial break and final break of the
Concrete Canvas. The initial break of the Concrete Canvas can range between 4
MPa or more in the different thicknesses. The last break can reach between 6 MPa
up to 10 MPa depending on the Concrete Canvas's different thickness.
Figure 4 preset Concrete Canvas mechanical properties

Figure 5 post set Concrete Canvas mechanical properties

The applications of Concrete canvas and the installation method:-

1- the installation method for the Concrete Canvas:-

The Concrete Canvas has a wide scope of applications that be used in the construction field such as
channel lining, bund lining, Culvert lining, slope protection, remediation, and weed suppression. While
Concrete Canvas having a wide scope of applications, it is still having the same method of installation
steps which are:-
 Step one:- Avoid any voids on the surfaces before putting the Concrete Canvas:-
o On soil: Make sure to remove the vegetation and rocks from the soil and fill any voids.
The soil must be well compacted and have a smooth uniform surface. The Concrete
Canvas must be a direct contact with soil to avoid soil migration under it.
o On concrete surfaces: make sure to remove any loose materials on the concrete surface.
The concrete surface must be free from any voids and if there any, they must be filled
before installing the Concrete Canvas.
o The concrete Canvas can be installed as longitudinal or transverse layers.

 Step two:-Make sure to secure that Concrete Canvas is fixed to the soil or concrete surface and
to be jointed between the overlapping layers using stainless steel anchors or masonry bolts.
The minimum overlapping distance must be at least 100 millimeters.

 Step three:- Make sure to hydrate the Concrete Canvas fully through the fibrous surface with
making sure that overlapping areas are fully hydrated. The Concrete Canvas must be
submerged underwater for several minutes after the hydration.
 2- The applications of the Concrete Canvas

1- Channel lining:-

Channel lining is used to protect the seepage of water flow and to direct the water flow in the channel.
They used Concrete Canvas because it can easily be unrolled and placed to make channel lining by
three people teams at a rate of 200m^3 per hour and to cost less for the installments than other
traditional methods of channel lining. Concrete Canvas CC8 and CC13 were being used in channel
lining for their strength against the water flow. The channel lining made by using Concrete Canvas
can withstand the water flow that can reach up to 20m/s with slopes that can range between 16% to
20%. The channel lining installation details were taken from Concrete Canvas Ltd as shown in figure
6.

Figure 6 channel lining details

 2- Bund Lining:-

Concrete Canvas is used also as a bind lining. For bind lining, the material used for it should be strong
and durable as bund lining can at risk of weathering erosion which can cause infrastructure damage
which led to exposes pipe to UV exposure and cause environmental damage as well. The Concrete
Canvas thickness for bind lining depends on usage. For Concrete Canvas 5 mm it is being used for
bund lining with no traffic, while Concrete Canvas 8 mm and 13 mm can be used for light traffic or
area of high-water flow. The bund lining using Concrete Canvas can act as a weed suppressant, which
helps in reducing the maintenance cost of damages caused by weeds. The installation details for bund
lining as shown in figure 7 are taken from the Concrete Canvas Ltd website.

Figure 7 bund lining details

In the UAE 2016, there is one project owned by GASCO AD that used Concrete Canvas Bund lining.
The project uses Concrete Canvas 5mm was lined in transverse layers along the way, and the project
used 3000 cubic meters of Concrete Canvas to complete it. Concrete Canvas was used to prevent the
erosion of the pipe protection berm and to help resist the damage caused by wildlife or from UV
exposure.
 Figure 8 GASCO UAE BUND LINING PROJECT

3- Slope protection:-
Wind and water cause erosion and hinder the stability of the slope and might affect the ability of plant
growth. To overcome this issue, we need to do slope protection either by using conventional concrete
or by Concrete Canvas. In slope protection, it uses Concrete Canvas with a thickness of 5mm. In figure
9 it shows the slope protection installation details taken from Concrete Canvas Ltd.

Figure 9 slope protection details

In the UAE in December 2018, there is one project owned by Al Ain Automatic Irrigation that used
Concrete Canvas slope protection in Al Wathba Wetland Nature Reserve. The project used Concrete
Canvas 5mm was lined in vertical layers along the way, and the project used 1600 square meters of
Concrete Canvas to complete it. Concrete Canvas was used to prevent the scour ahead before the rainy
season by providing effective erosion protection to the slope. The installation had done within 5days
with a team made of only four people. During the installation, Concrete Canvas was hydrated three
times within the first hour with 20 minutes intervals and that due to the high temperature and
evaporation rate on site.

Figure 10 Al Ain Automatic Irrigation slope protection project

4- Culvert lining:-
When pipelines are eroded due to the high rates of water flow that can lead to erosion, that when need
to do culvert lining to repair the structural stability for the pipeline. Many projects choose to repair the
existing pipeline using Concrete Canvas rather than replacing the whole culvert line, which will cost
a lot and consume time. For this kind of project, the best thickness of Concrete Canvas is 8mm or
13mm as both 8 mm and 13 mm are strong to cope with high water flow rates. In figure 11, it shows
detailed installation steps for culvert lining taken from Concrete Canvas Ltd.
 Figure 11 culvert lining details

5- Remediation and weed suppression:-

The other uses for concrete canvas are for remediation and weed suppression. Remediation using
Concrete Canvas is used to repair damaged concrete culvert by laying a layer of concrete Canvas on
top of the damaged concrete culvert. As for weed suppression, concrete Canvas laid under the pipe
system to protect it from the weed and vegetation which by doing so reduces the maintenance cost and
lower the risk of the pipes to corrode. In figure 12, the Concrete Canvas installation details for
remediation provided by Concrete Canvas Ltd. As for the weed suppression, there were not any
drawings related to installation for it provided by Concrete Canvas Ltd.
 Figure 12 Remediation installation details

Conclusion:-
The Concrete Canvas is one of the newest additions to the flexible concrete industry and in the
construction industry. Concrete Canvas can come as concrete on a roll makes it easy to transport and
easy to use as either longitudinal layers or transverse layers. Concrete Canvas is made from 3D Fiber
Matrix and dry concrete mix which makes it durable and flexible. Concrete Canvas can lower the
project costs from its installation speed, which can at rate 200𝑚2 /hour or by needing less manpower
to use it.
 References
Anjaneyulu, G. (2017). STUDY OF CONCRETE CLOTH (CC) IN CIVIL. 10th International Conference on Recent
Trends in Engineering Science and Management. India: Newton`s institute of science & technology.
Ansari Umair Ahmad, P. P. (2018). EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF ALUMINUM
MOSQUITO SHEET ON CONCRETE CANVAS PANELS. Maharashtra: International Journal of Advanced
Research in Engineering and Technology (IJARET).
Associate Prof. Shibi Verghese, A. B. (2017). Modification of Revolutionary Product Concrete Cloth. India: International
Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET).
Concrete Canvas Ltd. (n.d.). Retrieved from Concrete Canvas Ltd: https://www.concretecanvas.com/
Daniela Gastaldi, F. C. (2009). Journal of Materials Science. Ettringite and calcium sulfoaluminate cement: investigation
of water content by near-infrared spectroscopy, pp. vol 44, pages5788–5794(2009).
Duo Zhang, B. J. (2020). Cement and Concrete Composites. Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) with limestone
calcined clay.
Duo Zhang, J. Y. (2020). Discontinuous micro-fibers as intrinsic reinforcement for ductile. 2020 Elsevier Ltd. Retrieved
from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359836819312247?via%3Dihub
Fangyu Han, H. C. (2014). Influences of geometric patterns of 3D spacer fabric on tensile behavior. Construction and
Building Materials, pp. 620-629.
Fengjiang Qin, Z. Z. (2020). Use of high strength, high ductility engineered cementitious composites (ECC) toenhance
the flexural performance of reinforced concrete beams. Journal of Building Engineering, 1-28.
Han, F. C. (2016). Journal of Composite Materials. Improvement of mechanical properties of concrete canvas by
anhydrite-modified calcium sulfoaluminate cement, pp. vol 50 issue (14), pg1937-1950.
Hui Li, H. C. (2016, August). Application design of concrete canvas (CC) in soil reinforced structure. Geotextiles and
Geomembranes, pp. vol 44 issue 4 pg 557-567.
International, A. (2014). ASTM C469, Standard Test Method for Static Modulus of Elasticity and Poisson's. ASTM
International.
Irvin A. Chen, M. C. (2011, April). Journal of Materials Science. Synthesis and Hydration of Calcium Sulfoaluminate-
Belite Cements With Varied Phase Compositions, pp. vol 46 issue (8): pg 2568-2577.
Jindal, B. B. (2018). Concrete Cloth: An Innovative Versatile. India: LUPINE PUBLISHER.
Li, M. L. (2011). Cracking and Healing of Engineered Cementitious Composites under Chloride Environment. Materials
Journal, 333-340.
Maqbool Akhtar, R. S. (2015). Study of Canvas Concrete in Civil Engineering Works. Bhopal: IJSRD - International
Journal for Scientific Research & Development.
N.V.Nayak, A. (n.d.). Handbook on Advanced Concrete Technology. Alpha Science.
Narayanan., V. V. (2015, March). International Journal on Applications in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Concrete Cloth, pp. Volume 1: Issue 3, pp 6-12.
Sebastian Palm, T. P. (2016). Cements with a high limestone content – Mechanical properties, durability, and ecological
characteristics of the concrete. Construction and Building Materials, pp. vol 119 pg-308-318.
Yuvaraj Dhandapani, T. S. (2018). Mechanical properties and durability performance of concretes with Limestone
Calcined Clay Cement (LC3). Cement and Concrete Research, pp. vol 107 136-151.

View publication stats